Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1887-07-13
AN EVICTION scENE.
How an Irish Tenant ani His wife d
f,.nci.,d Their Humble Homn.


How an Irish Tenant and His Wife De-
Tended Their Humble Homo.
One OF tho most extraordinary eviction
scenes over witnessed in the south of Irc.
land occurred not long agS at Kilbarry,
near Danmanway, writes Cork corres
spondcnt OF tho London Neoa. Tho tenant
to be evicted was a man namel Daniel
Grace, who has wits and four young
children. Hs holds about thirty acres Of
land at rent OF about thirty pounds q
year, the valuation boiag sixteen pounds.
The farm is on the property OF Mrs,
Bourke, Bantry, and tho tonant owed one
and a half years rent. Hs states that he
has never been allowed reduction OF
rent, and in addition he has beeu COM
peeled to pay county cess and poor rates.
The tenant evidently anticipated eviction,
and made elaborate preparations for re-
sistauce The house is only a two-story
building, but the walls are very substan.
tial. There is kitchen and q
bedroom, both of which are fairly
large, on tho ground floor, and two upper.
rooms. Four bailiffs, accompanied
by about twenty policemen, reached the
house at ton O'Clock ono Saturday morn.
ing. They found the doors aud windows
ETC., belonging to the house removed to
an adjoining field. The bailiffs first ut
tempted TO effect an entrance by smash
ing in one of the lower windows, but Grace
and his wife, who were in the upper
story, flung stones on them through an
aperture they had made in the roof The
bai,iffs Immediately desisted, and went to
the back of tho house and attacked the
wall. Grace, who evidently did not an
ticipate this, attempted to repeat his pre-
vious tactics. While the bailiffs were at
-. 10 n l. -
making anather aperture in the reof az
the back of the house, with view of driv-
ing the bail.ffs away again with stones.
After about an hour the bailiffs gave up
the idea of effacting an entrance by this
means, owing to the thickness OF the wall.
They then hastily ran around to the front
of the house and smashed in ons of tho
lower blrricaded windows. One of the
bailiffs then entered the kitchen by the
window, while the others withdrew to
avoid the missiles G1ng by Gracs and his
wife. After awhile tho bailif who got in
removed all the distractions which pre-
vented the opening OF the kitchen door.
The bailiffs, having got into thu Kitchen
found that all means Of obtaining access
to the upper story had been cut away and
the man holes securely barricaded. Every
article OF furniture in the kitchen and tho
lower bedroom which might aid the
bailiffs had been removed to the adjoining
field The bailiffs, however, with the as
sistance Of the police, took possession OF
the tables and dressers, tho tenants
friends protesting against this procsei-
ing as lie gal. The tables were put on
the top of one another in thu kitchen. and
by this means thu ba;lIffs were able to
reach the ceiling. They callct on Grace to
give up possession, but he answered by
declaring that he would die fist. The
baillffs then went to work to cut away the
cross-beams with the aid OF saw and
some other rough tools The saw being
bad one, the progress with this work was
very slow. Rev. Father Coveney, c. c.,
and some other friends of the teaaats, do
nounced the bailiffs for attempting to cut
away the cross-b cams, and warned them
that the ceiling would fall down and en-
danger tho lives of the tenant, his wife
and child. After some hours the saving
was abandoned, and it was then attempted
to pull the cross beams out OF position by
means OF ropes. This was also Intellectual
owing to the rength of the beams. An
other plan was then tried to get into tho
upper story, tho house being built on q
sort of sloping hiA The roof at the back
Of the back of the house was only
about twelve feet from tho ground.
A dresser was placed on q table, aud
VIC cSCcilutu, Only 70 DO urlVeU
back again by the tenant and his wife,
who flung heavy stones at them. The
police then intcrfered, and five constablcs'
uscended the table AMI dresser aud clam.
bered on to tho roof. In order to get in
through tho roof itwould DO necessary Ia.
saw away the timber from which the
states had been torn. This was practia
cally impossible, as any one who ap.
preached the roof was attacked with
large stones by Grace ani his wife. The
five policemen were also compelled to re-
treat, and ono of them, Sergeant Michel
Sugrae, receiv ID n severe cut Oh tho head
from blow of one Of the stones. He inn
mediate Y left for Dunmanway to get his
iDjuries attended to. Efforts which were
also made TO effect an entrance through
the roof at the front OF the house proved
abortive. Grace had q large number of
stones gathered, and repu,se1 about a
dozen attempts at entry; his wife, a young
woman about twenty-six years OF age, 90
lively co-operated with him, notwith-
standing that she carried a young baby in
her arms. About six o'cloc {, after about
eight hours inelf ectual work to force an
entrance, the bailiffs tndoned the at
tempt, and, guarded by len police, they
returned to Dunmanway The other ten
policemen remained around the house,
with the object, ii IS thought, Of arresting
the tenant and his wife should they at
tempt to leave. Grace, however, declares
he will not leave until he is co ompeled by
superior force. After tic bailiffs dep arted
he let down q rope, TO which some friends
attached aloaf of bread, tho police not In :.
terfering. A fire YVES then lit in tho
kitchen and supper was madc for Grace,
and conveyed to him by means Of the
rope